9 Asian-Style Paleo Dishes From Nom Nom Paleo

Written by Jackie Dowling on March 9, 2018

Whether you’ve recently gone Paleo or have been loyal to the lifestyle for years, you might be dying for dairy or groveling for grains. OK, maybe your cravings aren’t that dire (or cliché), but we’re sure we all have some degree of nostalgia for our old-time favorites… and Asian-fusion is certainly one of them.

With the help of Michelle Tam from Nom Nom Paleo, Asian is back on the Paleo menu and made from the comfort of your own kitchen (let’s be real, it would be tough to choose Paleo-approved meals from the take-out menu). These Paleo recipes, while made with flavorful, nutritious, and real, whole ingredients, prove that “Paleo” is definitely not just a one-size-fits-all, grilled-chicken-and-steamed-broccoli-every-night type of diet.

With one pan and endless options, this recipe will be your mid-week savior. While this recipe calls for pork, feel free to use ground turkey or your favorite meat and pair it with sautéed onions and peppers to add a little pop of color.

Time to break out your pressure cooker because, Paleo or not, you’ll be diving headfirst into this recipe. “Now place the whole chicken in the pressure cooker…” I mean, come on. That’s music to the ears of every beginner chef. There are a few more steps involved to get your chicken strips Instagram-ready so we recommend this recipe for a weekend activity with family or friends.

You’ll be happy you made this recipe, partly because of the sweet and sour shrimp you’ll have in just about 15 minutes, but mostly because of the fact your kitchen will smell like Christmas as the walnuts roast. You’re welcome.

Preparing lemongrass can require a bit of patience but with the right tools and the right technique (see Michelle’s lemongrass tutorial), you’ll be cookin’ with gas… or grass for that matter. Once you taste the mix of cloves, ginger, and honey, you’ll be pulling out the lemongrass more often.

I bet you never thought you’d hear almond butter and pork in the same sentence. But trust us, it works. The jam, tomato paste, ginger, and fish sauce combo brings out the natural flavors of the pork. We recommend baking on a wire rack for even roasting.

A mouthwatering marinade made with orange juice, basil, and balsamic, and a sweet drizzle of honey and Sriracha… because why choose one? No need for fancy gadgets: Both the marinade and the sauce can be puréed in your blender so cleanup doesn’t take hours. Pro tip: For a quick rinse of your blender, add water, a little soap, then blend on high for 20 seconds. Rinse it out, and you’re ready to make the next item.

Miss the days of pot stickers? This stir-fry recipe tastes like the inside of a pot sticker even when you can’t have the doughy shell (#paleoproblems). Cabbage, pork, and mushrooms blend together to create a full body of flavors all made in one pot.

If you’re scrolling through Pinterest for meatballs with an Asian flair, look no further than this recipe that’s made with pork and shrimp. The pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and cilantro are the perfect seasonings to the meat-seafood combo. Not feelin’ the meatball? Shape them into patties and serve on an iceberg lettuce cup for Paleo-friendly sliders.

If you similarly struggle with always overcooking or undercooking meat on the stove, parchment paper is what you need. This recipe is super simple and actually pretty fun to assemble. Just layer all your ingredients on your custom-cut paper, pinch the sides to form packets, and bake for about 20 minutes. That’s a wrap!